Naughton to miss; key Dogs in the mix

While first year defender Aaron Naughton will be sidelined for two to three weeks with an ankle injury, the Bulldogs backline could be bolstered with the return of Easton Wood, Dale Morris and Marcus Adams this weekend.

18-year-old Naughton rolled his left ankle in the latter stages of Saturday night’s 14-point win against Brisbane, and scans have since confirmed ligament damage according to medical services officer Chris Bell.

“Scans confirmed our initial thoughts that he has damaged the ligaments on the outside part of his ankle,” he told westernbulldogs.com.au on Monday.

“At this stage we expect Aaron to miss the next two to three games.”

The news is better for skipper Easton Wood, however, who is expected to be available for selection after recovering from a minor hamstring injury sustained against Carlton in Round Six.

“Easton has progressed really well following his minor hamstring strain. He ticked full speed on the weekend, which is really important for us,” he said.

“He'll come back into full training this week with the team and if he gets through, he'll come back into availability this weekend.”

And veteran defender Dale Morris is almost certain to play this weekend less than three months after suffering a partial ACL tear during a training drill in February.

Morris underwent a targeted strength and conditioning rehabilitation program rather than surgery, and the only hurdle left to clear is getting through training this week, Bell confirmed.

“Dale has ticked every box and passed every fitness test we could throw at him, and he's now had two really solid weeks of footy training behind him.

“So, if he gets through training this week as we expect he'll return to availability this weekend.”

The same can be said for young defender Marcus Adams who is also expected to return this weekend from an ankle injury suffered on the eve of the season'

“Marcus has progressed really well following his ankle surgery earlier in the year, Bell said.

“He's ticked our final stage measures in rehab. He's back in full training this week and if he gets through training like we expect, he will play this weekend.”